The present disclosure relates to an image forming apparatus, more particularly, a technique in determining whether the activation of the image forming apparatus is permitted through user authentication.
An image forming apparatus has heretofore been known which reads a user ID of a user from an ID card storing the user ID, and permits the user to activate the apparatus when the authenticity of the read user ID is verified with respect to the activation of the apparatus by the user. In addition, an automatic vending machine has been known, which is ready for selling its product when an inserted ID card is taken out of the machine by a person after the authentication of the person is made, such that the machine prevents the person from forgetting to pick up his or her ID card.
However, it is difficult for the above-mentioned image forming apparatus to prevent the user from forgetting to pick up his or her ID card. Although the above-mentioned automatic vending machine can prevent the person from forgetting to pick up his or her ID card, the ID card remains inserted in the machine during an operation of the machine performed by the person after the authentication. Accordingly, it may be likely that the person lefts the ID card which may result in a theft if the person leaves the vending machine and moves to another place during an operation of the vending machine.